Date: Mon, 04 Aug 1997 12:00:38 +1100
From: Bill Currie <billc AT blackmagic DOT tait DOT co DOT nz>
Subject: Re: "Are Allegro's routines fast enough to write Quake-like game
In-reply-to: <KmVNwRARye4zEwX$@jenkinsdavid.demon.co.uk>
To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Message-id: <199708040005.MAA13342@teleng1.tait.co.nz gatekeeper.tait.co.nz>
Organization: Tait Electronics Limited
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Comments: Authenticated sender is <billc AT blackmagic DOT tait DOT co DOT nz>
Precedence: bulk

On  1 Aug 97 at 15:02, David Jenkins wrote:
> So whats a pixel then a 0D object. It doesn't extend in any xy
> directions.
> 
> 1D objects = pixels, they don't extend in either xy direction of the
> screen.
> 
> 2D objects = lines, they extend in one of the x or y directions.
> 
> 3D objects = squares etc, they extend in both x and y directions.
> 
> Then again,
> 
> 1D objects = pixels and lines, they extend in only 1 of the xyz
> directions.
> 
> 2D objects = squares, they extend in 2 of the xyz.
> 
> 3D objects = cubes etc, they extend in the xyz.
> 
> 
> I think it depends on whether your a 2D programmer or a 3D
> programmer.
>  Seeing as the subjects Quake like 3D engine programming I guess
>  lines
> are 1D in this context.

Hmm, the way I understand it is: a pixel (point) is 0d, a line is 1d, 
a plane (square etc) is 2d and a (eg) cube is 3d. However, a point 
sits somewhere on a line, that line sits somewhere on a plane 
pointing in some direction (or may be curved), that plane lies 
somewhere within a volume (cube, sphere, etc) or may be a curved 
surface, ad infinitum...

This means that an n dimentional `object' needs n+1 dimentions to 
describe it (location, size, etc), thus there is no end to the number 
of dimentions (Heinlein, Citizen of the Galaxy, I think)

Mind you, what would the fourth dimention describe? Time? Volume? 
Mass?  I guess they're all just more dimentions.

Confuzzed ;)
Bill
--
Leave others their otherness.